1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to air pressurized, multi-shot toy guns for launching projectiles from a plurality of nozzles with launch tubes in a multi-shot projectile magazine attached thereto. More specifically, the present invention relates to a safety mechanism for nozzles of such air pressurized toy guns to reduce the chances of dangerous objects being shot therefrom while automatically permitting the shooting of mating projectiles, e.g. soft darts, therefrom.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Air guns have been available for decades and typically rely upon a reciprocal hand pump to compress air in a chamber for subsequent firing. These are often used for firing BB's or pellets. Other gas powered guns rely upon canisters of compressed gas wherein the gas is released for firing. Toy guns which involve the use of bladders have been developed for storing and shooting water.
The following patents are representative of toy guns, illustrating in chronological order toy guns which shoot projectiles and/or are otherwise pressurized:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,488,995 issued to Edwin McCollom describes a projectile shooting toy gun which relies upon a spring loaded, u-shaped rod which is cocked by pulling and released by a trigger release.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,011,749 to Harry Brading describes a dart game which uses a blow pipe for launching the darts.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,575,644 to William Schmidt describes a pistol which fires a projectile and relies upon a compression spring to compress air and to thereby actuate the firing of the projectile.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,237,678 issued to Raymond Lohr et al describes a repeating, cork shooting toy which utilizes a cork magazine which rotates after each firing to position the next cork in sequence for firing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,056 to Robert Martin describes a compressed gas-operated propelling mechanism in a toy gun.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,136 issued to Giampiero Ferri sets forth a toy gun which relies upon spring based compression to a launch a plastic bullet or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,239 issued to Michael Salmon et al describes a liquid projecting device which is basically a bladder and a release trigger, the bladder being expanded by being filled up with water. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,480 issue to Robert Shindo describes a water gun with an expandable rubber tube or bladder which is filled with water and subsequently released by the trigger mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,081 Randall Moormann sets forth a compressible ball launcher which relies upon a telescoping cylindrical gun to compress air to force a ball out of a nozzle.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the prior art neither teaches nor suggests the use of a safety mechanism for pressurized air toy gun nozzles to reduce the possibility of shooting hostile or dangerous projectiles therefrom, as in the present invention.